Houston Baptist University Catalog

Professional Writing (WRIT) Course Descriptions

WRIT 3121, 3221, 3321 Special TopicsPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.Topics are determined by the needs and interests of students in the areas of advanced and specialized writing. They include topics not covered in creative or professional writing courses such as advanced creative writing, advanced rhetoric, advanced expository writing, advanced argumentative and persuasive writing, and writing for specific markets.

WRIT 3121, 3221, 3321 Special TopicsPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.Topics are determined by the needs and interests of students in the areas of advanced and specialized writing. They include topics not covered in creative or professional writing courses such as advanced creative writing, advanced rhetoric, advanced expository writing, advanced argumentative and persuasive writing, and writing for specific markets.

WRIT 3303 Elements of Professional WritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1313, 1323.This course offers students an overview of different types of writing and the role writing plays in the modern work place. Students evaluate examples of professional writing and selections from mass media, identify fallacious reasoning, use and recognize correct grammatical usage, write and revise a variety of papers. Each student compiles a portfolio representing his or her best work. Each student also interviews a person who writes on the job. NOTE: Students may select this course for credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Technical Writing or Rhetoric, and for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing.

WRIT 3121, 3221, 3321 Special TopicsPrerequisites: ENGL 1320 and 1330.Topics are determined by the needs and interests of students in the areas of advanced and specialized writing. They include topics not covered in creative or professional writing courses such as advanced creative writing, advanced rhetoric, advanced expository writing, advanced argumentative and persuasive writing, and writing for specific markets.

WRIT 3322 Press & Democracy Prerequisites: none.Examination of the principles, concepts, theories, and functions of journalism in American society including significant 20th and 21st century journalists.

WRIT 3323 Writing & Reporting I Prerequisites: ENGL 1320 and ENGL 1330.Teaches the fundamentals of news reporting and writing. Lectures, discussions and laboratory work provide training in the development and organization of basic news stories and in meeting deadlines.

WRIT 3334 Life WritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.An introduction to the writing of personal history. Students read individual journals, autobiography and autobiographical fiction by a variety of authors from different time periods and of different nationalities, genders, and races. In their own expository writing students incorporate advanced techniques in the areas of description, narration, and analysis and compile a collection of their best works. Students may select this course for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing and in Rhetoric.

WRIT 3345 Technical WritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1313, 1323.This course trains students to write effectively in the modern workplace. Students study audience analysis, document design, graphics and web design. They apply what they have learned by creating a variety of written documents, including email messages, memos, letter, resumes, and reports. Some group work is required as students need to practice collaborative writing and peer review. Students may select this course for credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Technical Writing and for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing.

WRIT 3350, Creative Writing Non-FictionPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.This course explores non-fiction prose and its rhetorical elements. Students both read and write creative non-fiction, compiling a reading journal and a writing portfolio of their own essays.

WRIT 3354, Creative Writing - PoetryPrerequisites: ENGL 1320 and 1330.An introduction to poetry writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original poems and discussion of those poems in a workshop format. Note: WRIT 3354 fulfills Smith College credit under Humanities and may be used for the Professional Writing Specialization.

WRIT 3355, Creative Writing - FictionPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.An introduction to fiction writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original short stories and discussion of those stories in a workshop format. Note: WRIT 3355 fulfills Smith College credit under Humanities and may be used toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

WRIT 3356, Playwriting and ScreenwritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1320 and 1330An introduction to writing for the stage and screen, accomplished through the study and analysis of appropriate models, followed by production of original works and discussion of those works in a workshop format. NOTE: WRIT 3356 fulfills Smith College credit under Humanities. Students may also select this course for credit toward the Professional Writing Specialization, the Writing Major, or the English Major.

WRIT 3383 Advanced Grammar and WritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.The course includes and overview of the history of the English language. It emphasizes descriptive grammar using sentence diagramming and analysis. The course includes the in-depth study of construction, forms, and usage of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Required for teacher certification in Language Arts grades 4-8 and 8-12.

WRIT 4101, 4201, 4301 Writing InternshipPrerequisites: ENGL 1313, 1323; at least 3 hours from WRIT 3303 or 3345; at least a 3.0 GPA in English, an application, and two letters of recommendation to the Intern Selection Committee at least one semester in advance. Students who excel in English may also enroll at the discretion of the Director of the Writing Specialization Program.This course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 40 hours per credit hour.

WRIT 4101, 4201, 4301 Writing InternshipPrerequisites: ENGL 1313, 1323; at least 3 hours from WRIT 3303 or 3345; a 3.0 GPA in English, an application, and two letters of recommendation to the Intern Selection Committee at least one semester in advance. Students who excel in English may also enroll at the discretion of the Director of the Writing Specialization ProgramThis course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 40 hours per credit hour.

WRIT 4101, 4201, 4301 Writing InternshipPrerequisites: ENGL 1313, 1323; at least 3 hours from WRIT 3303 or 3345; at least a 3.0 GPA in English, an application, and two letters of recommendation to the Intern Selection Committee at least one semester in advance. Students who excel in English may also enroll at the discretion of the Director of the Writing Specialization ProgramThis course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 40 hours per credit hour.

WRIT 4324 Feature Writing Prerequisites: WRIT 3323.This course helps students learn the effective use of dialogue, development of narrative techniques, including vivid description and detail, and comparison and contrast in developing the feature story. Exercises in this course are designed to help students develop techniques to involve the reader emotionally through human interest including drama, pathos, empathy, humor, and curiosity.

WRIT 4326 Public Affairs Reporting Prerequisites: WRIT 3323.This course emphasizes public affairs reporting in its traditional role as the staple of American journalism while stressing the increased and evolving role of journalists, working in the age of information, to go beyond gathering, organizing, and presenting facts, to finding ways to present increasingly complicated information in ways that help the public to better understand and manage 21st century issues that dominate the news. Public affairs issues discussed in this course include, but are not limited to, public agencies, science, the environment, medicine, health, and business, and the global issues of energy, hunger, health, war and terrorism.

WRIT 4327 Principles of Public Relations Prerequisites: none.this course teaches the theory and practice of public relations, how public relations operates in organizations, its impact on publics, and it sfunction in society. The course will also focus on professional development of the field; concepts, issues, and principles in the practice; and models and theories guiding the practice.

WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, 4358 Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 & ENGL 1323 These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, and 4358 do not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, 4358 Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 & ENGL 1323 These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, and 4358 do not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, 4358 Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 & ENGL 1323 These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, and 4358 do not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, 4358 Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 & ENGL 1323 These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, and 4358 do not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, 4358 Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 & ENGL 1323 These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4353, 4354, 4355, 4356, 4357, and 4358 do not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4358, Advanced Creative Writing WorkshopPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323These courses are designed for advanced students of creative writing and will stress individual instruction and work on creative manuscripts such as a collection of poems or short stories, a novel or full-length play, screenplays, and radio and television scripts. NOTE: WRIT 4358 does not satisfy requirements for the English major.

WRIT 4364 Advanced Poetry WritingPrerequisite: WRIT 3354 or 3355, or permission of the instructor.This advanced poetry writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3354. Class time is spent in the analysis of models - works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins - and intensive discussion of student poems. Students may select this course for credit toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

WRIT 4365 Advanced Fiction WritingPrerequisites: ENGL 1313 and 1323.This advanced fiction writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3355. Class time is spent in the analysis of models - works from the tradition and more recent work in experimental veins - and intensive discussion of student short stories or chapters from novels or novellas. Students may select this course for credit toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

WRIT 4373 The Critical Essay and Review Writing PREREQS: ENGL 1320, 1330 An examination of the basic elements of the critical essay, the review essay, the review, and the short notice.

WRIT 4374, Rhetoric for Professional and Technical WritersPrerequisites: ENGl 1313 and 1323This course provides students with an overview of classical and modern rhetoric from ancient Greece to the 20th century, with an emphasis on written documents. Students will read excerpts from the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Bakhtin, Wittgenstein, Lyotard, and others. Students will also analyze professional and technical documents in light of classical and contemporary rhetorical theories. Students may select this course for credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Technical Writing or Rhetoric, and for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing.

WRIT 4376, Promotional and Persuasive WritingPrerequistes: ENGl 1313 and 1323This course provides students with an introduction to and an overview of persuasive and promotional writing. Students will read, analyze, and produce several types of persuasive and promotional documents in the following categories: proposal writing, political writing, non-profit/fundraising writing, religious writing, and sales/promotional writing. Students may select this course for credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Technical Writing or Rhetoric, and for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing.

WRIT 4391, Senior Seminar: Creative Writing in PoetryPrerequisite: WRIT 3354 or permission of the instructorThis seminar is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3354. Class time is spent in the analysis of model-works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins--and intensive discussion of student poems. Students also present and monitor their progress on the research project and share final results with the class.

WRIT 4392, Senior Seminar: Creative Writing in FictionPrerequisite: WRIT 3355 or permission of the instructorThis seminar is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3355. Class time is spent in the analysis of models-works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins--and intensive discussion of student short stories or chapters from novels or novellas. Students also present and monitor their progress on the research project and share final results with the class.